Elite Traveler January-February 2015

elite traveler JAN/FEB 2015 ISSUE 1 59

New Zealand board shaper Roy Stuart hasn’t held back with the creation of the Rampant Surf Board, the ultimate piece of surf kit. Molded from paulownia wood, it features the latest in shaping technology and is embellished with a 23-karat gold dragon. $1.3m, roystuart.biz

TAKE THREE/// PRIVATE JET ROUND-THE-WORLD TOURS Taking the hassle out of your bucket list, here’s how the main players stack up

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ON THE RADAR... NISEKO

On the itinerary: Miami, Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Abercrombie &Kent Geoffrey Kent in Morocco USP: Flat beds on the plane, serious insight and some of the world’s best guides on the ground. A cultured world tour Diary time: 24 days (17 September – 10 October) Angkor Wat, Istanbul, desert camping with

Captain’s Choice

Four Seasons

On the itinerary: Iguazu Falls, Easter Island, Tahiti, the Taj Mahal, the Serengeti, with accommodation in classic five-star hotels (Four Seasons, Oberoi, Raffles) USP: Similar level of service and route but with a lower price tag. The 90-seat plane is the one used by The Rolling Stones for their recent world tour. Nervous travelers benefit from a permanent tour doctor Diary time: 22 days (4-26 March)

On the itinerary: LA, Hawaii, Bora Bora, Sydney, Bali, Thailand, India, Istanbul, London USP: Legendary (and seamless) Four Seasons service in the air (on a 52-seat 757) as well as on the ground. The ultimate indulgence and VIP treatment

Move over Aspen and St Moritz – a new destination is appearing on the radar of the comfort-loving skier. Niseko, on Japan’s north island of Hokkaido, has been slowly drawing international visitors with its quiet pistes, amazing powder, and extreme skiing options such as heliskiing. Now the luxury brands are muscling in for a piece of the action. First up is Kasara Niseko (kasara.com/nisekovillage/), a high-class resort from the YTL group that opened its first residences – eight three-bedroom townhouses (from $2,000 a night) with a variety of bespoke services – in December last year. Later in 2015, Capella (capellanisekoresidences.com), the six-star hotel brand from Horst Schulze (former president of Ritz Carlton) launches its own resort, with 70 bedrooms (many with a private onsen) and residences for investment or rental.

Diary time: 24 days (March 16 - April 8) $119,000 per person, fourseasons.com/jet

$105,958 per person, abercrombiekent.com

$55,589 per person, captainschoice.co.uk

JUST OPENED: CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS

Wake up in Switzerland at Château Gütsch, and look down steep, wooded slopes to Lake Lucerne. In 1888, architect Emil Vogt built a Bavarian-style castle here, and apparently Queen Victoria visited around 1900. The Chateau is now owned by Alexander Lebedev, the Russian billionnaire, who has worked with interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard on the new look of what is now a 27-bedroom luxury hotel. One of the perks of staying here is out-of-hours personal shopping at Cartier, down in Lucerne. Doubles from $383, chateau-guetsch.ch